6 Tips to Get Noticed in Your Healthcare Job

3. Ace the Unpleasant Conversations

Healthcare professionals headed for the top aren’t afraid to confront their peers and address contentious issues. According to Halfer, it could be as simple as shutting down a colleague’s griping with, “It sounds like you’ve got real issues. Maybe you should talk directly with the staff member about that issue or have this conversation with your manager.”

Or it could be as tricky as addressing concerns over patient safety. “Patient-safety issues sometimes arise, because clinicians are afraid to say something because they’re afraid of upsetting people,” Studer says. “High performers put the safety of patients first and are respected for it.” Avoid being accusatory, however. High performers usually address patient-safety concerns with nonaccusatory statements like, “Help me understand why you do it this way” as opposed to, “You’re doing it wrong,” Studer says.